The Man at the Bar
by feralandfree
Summary: Jack Harkness, when newly promoted to Captain, had a chance encounter with a stranger. He never thought such an insignificant event could ever affect him, but as this story follows episodes of Jack's life, he will come to see that everything happens for a reason...
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: As I have decided to develop the oneshot, I have made some necessary alterations.

The following chapters will have a kind of _staccato _style with short scenes rather than a flowing narrative, as I believe this best compliments the feel of my original oneshot. I do not know how long it will take me to finish it all, but hopefully it won't be too long.

I hope you enjoy it, please let me know what you think!

xxx

Feralandfree

.

The Man at the Bar

_Captain..._

_Captain Jack Harkness. _

_Captain Jack Harkness, time agent._

"Good evening, I'm Captain Jack Harkness." He savoured the new word "_Captain_ Jack Harkness, at your service. I'm the Captain. The Captain is speaking."

He assumed a deeper voice and raised an eyebrow, smiling.

_"_Hello there... I'm Captain Jack."

Ahh, yes, that sounded good.

Captain Jack Harkness, the time agent, was in a good mood.

He didn't quite know where he was but a bar was open and that was all he wanted.

Promotions had to be celebrated by dutifully getting revoltingly drunk and into trouble. It was tradition! And never let anyone say Captain -_captain_!- Jack didn't follow his traditions seriously. In that spirit he walked into the bar.

The smell of alien drinks, perfume and smoke welcomed him, as did the wink of a particularly interesting barman.

This was very promising.

Then someone attracted Jack's attention for the wrong reason; a man was sitting alone at the bar, in the shadows, morosely cradling a glass.

Often when in a good mood we tend to share and spread the joy, and seeing how sad the man looked and how happy Jack felt, the captain decided to take it upon himself to cheer the poor chap up. The fact that the stranger was also very cute was completely beside the point, totally irrelevant. Empowered and proud of his noble and completely selfless resolve, the captain walked over to him.

"Hi there!" Jack said, sitting next to the man and flashing him his best grin. "What's a handsome fella like you doing, sitting all on your lonesome?"

The man looked up in surprise, then he turned around to make sure that Jack was really talking to _him. _"Mind if I join you?" Jack continued jovially.

After a moment of hesitation and a meek half-smile, the man nodded at the barman who then turned to Jack. "What's your poison? It's on him."

"I'll have a tumbler of your worst whiskey then, and thanks" Jack smiled at the quiet fellow who had resumed drinking.

"It's such a shame. A tall, good-looking guy, with such nice dark hair, all alone in a corner... There's a lot more fun you can have in company!" he winked.

The man spluttered and started coughing. Jack laughed and gave him a few strong pats on the back, soon he was breathing normally again and apologetically shaking his head.

"Oh well, it was worth a try." Jack mused, taking a good swig of his whiskey. He looked thoughtfully at his drinking partner. "Not much for words, are you?" the man smiled sheepishly as he shook his head. Jack pondered, almost talking to himself "What's bugging you anyway? Trouble with a girl? Don't worry about it, there's plenty to go around..."

The man looked down but his grip tightened around his glass and he shook his head. It was then that Jack noticed the wedding band.

"Ah, I get it now, trouble with the old ball and chain." said the captain, knowingly nodding as he handed the tumbler back to that seriously cute barman. "They always forget to mention marital strife when they're trying to promote marital bliss, don't they? For better or for worse, 'till death do you part...Easier said than done, isn't it? It sounds so boring, too..." "N..No"

Jack raised his brow at the vehemence with which the man said his first word to him.

"N..No...it isn..isn...isn't" The man was panting as he struggled to get the words out. "She was p..p..perfect"

"I'm sorry" Jack muttered softly "I didn't mean..."

"She was fun and b..brave and loud and.."

The man looked up at the captain and in his eyes Jack saw unbridled anger, unbearable frustration and the raw pain of a loving man who hated himself.  
"She was p..p...perfect and I c..couldn't even c..call her name."

Jack quietly walked away as a single, lonely tear fell into the glass of a very lonely man.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

There is an agonizingly sweet moment in the morning, when you are still asleep but you are becoming more aware of your surroundings: you can feel the sheets on your skin, the warmth of the bed and that gentle, sleepy inertia of the body...And although you are beginning to wake, you feel that, if you tried hard enough, you could just slip back into your slumber and the world wouldn't really notice. However, reality eventually seeps in until you surrender to it and are forced to wake up.

Jack did so with a groan.

_I must have had fun last night._

He turned over and covered his eyes with his arm. His head was throbbing...

With a resentful grunt he sat up and slowly got his feet over the side of the bed; in that position he waited for the world to stop spinning, rubbing his face in his hands.

_I must have REALLY had fun. _

Finally, albeit groggy and dizzy, he stood up.

He needed his hangover remedy.

"News." He muttered aloud, slowly making his way to the kitchen, and the screen on the wall came to life as a young woman talked to the camera, with a professional yet soothing voice.

"_...After being trapped for a hundred years. The class action came to an end today as a settlement was reached behind closed doors..."_

Still in his underwear, Jack put a banana, some oats, a tablespoon of Angarian honey and 2 eggs in the blender.

"_The victim's Voice for Justice, honourable John Sigurd Hoffman, had this to say..." _The screen now showed a proud and elderly man speaking in front of the courthouse.

"_The money cannot cancel the last one hundred years, it cannot return my clients to their jobs, their homes or to the arms of their loved ones. It cannot give them their past, but it can help them build a new future..." _

The rest of the speech was covered by the blender going at full speed as it mixed all the ingredients.

His Harkness Hangover Rescue Remedy was ready.

Jack dutifully applied the face mask and proceeded to make himself a cup of coffee.

.

Five minutes later the Intercomunicator rang."What?" answered the captain.

"Morning, Jack."

"Hey, John." Jack rubbed his eyes. "Jazz." The screen turned off and the room was instantaneously filled with the soft, melancholic tune of a saxophone.

"Jack are you ready? I'm waiting downstairs..."

"Sure, sure I'm ready, of course!" Nodded the captain confidently in his face-mask and underwear.

"I'll be right down." He assured his friend as he walked off to take a shower.

.

.

"So what's the mission?" Jack questioned as he sat in the vehicle.

" Sure I'm ready... I'll be right down..." Muttered John.

"C'mon, what's the mission." Jack nudged his friend.

"I don't know yet, that's why we need to get to base...And we're late."

"It's no big deal, John. We're the best agents they've got, you know that! They'll cut us some slack."

John shook his head ruefully " I've got to admire your confidence." He suddenly became more sombre "Jack...I don't know exactly what they want us to do, but rumours have been going round the base. People have even stopped talking to me. This mission...This is a big one."

"The bigger the mission the greater the glory!" Jack grinned " Stop worrying so much! We always make it, and have fun on the way, don't we?"

John said nothing and continued driving.

Jack looked out of the window. With the corner of his eye he noticed a sign with a picture.

"HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN?" Was written in big letters under the face of a smiling woman with red hair.

"Nope, sorry." Jack muttered in response.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

.

.

.

Author's note:

In my own crazy little world, I like to think the Intercomunicator, or Intercom, was invented by an Italian; just like the phone was invented by Marconi. Because of this I use an Italianised spelling: only 1 "m" and no hypen and I take the final "e" away because that is how some Italians try to make words sound International.

I'll also add that I like to believe the Intercom was invented by a descendant of the sweet caricature of an Italian that Donna and her family lived with for a while when London was destroyed.


	3. Chapter 3

Quietly, Jack closed the door behind him.

Two years.

_Two years._

The captain slowly walked into the living room; he placed his hands on the table where he had left a crystal vase, his notes and some time-travel souvenirs... _Souvenirs._ How ironic.

"TWO YEARS!" Jack roared, and in his fury sent everything crashing to the floor.

.

.

.

An hour later, Jack was slumped in a corner, an almost empty bottle in his hand as he surveyed the wreckage that had once been his living room. Fragments of crystal covered the floor and dangled from what used to be mirrors and glasses, shards of wood were all that was left of his chairs and furniture.

Next to him was a single surviving plate.

Jack almost felt like it was mocking him: so perfectly intact, when he felt so broken.

Almost spent, he picked up the offending plate and hit it half-heartedly against the carpet. It made a nice _thud, _but it didn't even crack.

"Suit yourself." Jack muttered and took another swig from his bottle.

_Two years._

They had taken two whole years of his life away... Cancelled them from his memory as if he were nothing more than a blackboard to be written and erased on. He felt like a book from which two pages had been ripped: it all looked unchanged, but the story would never be the same.

The intercomunicator rang. "Ignore." Jack barked out the order with an imperativeness he didn't recognise... Who had he become?

What had happened to him?

_What had he done?_

What happened that was so terrible he had to have his memory erased?

Did he ask to have those years removed, or was it done by force?

It had to be coerced, he would never willingly allow his mind to be tampered with...Would he?

Jack leaned back against the wall, hitting it lightly with the back of his head at first, then again and again more forcefully, eyes shut and jaw clenched.

His hands closed into fists, one gripping the bottle so tightly that soon it too fell to the floor in a cascade of glass and blood...The shattered remains of a broken man...

_Broken? No._

Captain Jack Harkness stood up, determination and pride igniting his spirit. He wasn't going to let anyone break him, not without a fight.

As his blood trickled down to the floor, his eyes turned to the skies.

"Bring it on."


	4. Chapter 4

A few minutes later Jack finally answered the Intercomunicator.

"Jack we need to talk about this."

"Are you going to tell me what happened in the past two years?"

The intercom fell silent.

"Then we have nothing to talk about." Jack shrugged.

"Jack, listen" John pleaded "I...I can't make you remember but I am still your friend. I want to help..."

"I'm leaving the agency, John."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm done with it. It's boring, it has too many stupid rules to remember, its dress-code is of dubious taste, it takes years away from its agents memories...Not to mention the fact that it makes me wake up far too early in the morning!"

Jack knew John well. Right now his friends was nervously rubbing his fists as he thought of the right thing to say.

"Look, let's meet up so we can talk about this face to face. I'll come over in ten minutes..."

"No!" Jack interrupted "It's..." he looked at the smashed furniture "It's undergoing some redesigning at the moment. "

"It's just...I just don't want you to end up doing something stupid. I'm worried about you, everyone in the agency is worried..."

"Aw, they don't need to trouble themselves over little old me!" In the meantime Jack was hurriedly stuffing money, his notes and various objects into his rucksack."And weren't you supposed to be the wild one? That's what they told me when they made us partners."

"You can't get those two years back..."

"Watch me."

"You're getting yourself into serious trouble, mate. You have some vital agency information, not to mention equipment..."

"It's my bonus!" Jack replied with nonchalance "My going-away gift as I've been such a good little boy...Haven't I? Who knows...Oh wait, the agency does. I'm sure they'll agree."

"Jack..."

the Captain halted. John had always been a good partner. He would miss him.

He sighed. "Ok, look: in five hours, at the café in the old olive grove."

"I'll be there."

The captain closed the rucksack and went to the door.

"Jack, buddy...Don't get yourself killed."

"Don't worry dear, I'll be fine. Now forgive me but I've got to go: I have a ship to steal."

And off he went.

.

.

.

Lucy wasn't there yet, they must have changed her shift since he'd been gone.

No matter: it gave him the time to do something very, very important he had promised himself he would do as soon as he got the chance...He purposefully marched to the tall man in white who nodded in silent recognition.

"Pecan, vanilla and rum-raisin...And could I have some sprinkles on that, please?"

The captain walked along, happily wolfing down his ice cream, as he waited for Lucy. His eyes fell on one of the street screens. There was the news woman talking with two men he believed to have seen somewhere before. He moved closer to listen.

"_...researched and developed over the past few years. Now his invention has made him one of the richest men in the 51st century! Please welcome Lee McDougall."_

A tall, attractive man with dark hair waved politely at the audience.

"I know that man!" Jack cried out, pointing at the screen "That's Depressing-bar-guy!"

Depressing-bar-guy was talking confidently to the lady.

"... _ Consequences a speech impediment can cause. I don't want it to happen to anyone else. The McAvoy is simply a Neuro-stimulator that transmits the right frequency to the brain, permitting anyone to speak freely, no matter what the speech impediment is. If it hadn't been for our amazing Voice for Justice I would have never had the money to develop it."_ The other gentleman nodded in gratitude of Depressing-bar-guy's recognition.

"Well good for you!" Jack smiled at the screen, genuinely pleased for the chap.

"..._Why did you choose to call it the '_McAvoy_,' Mr McDougall?"_

"_It is the name of my cousin, to honour his memory. He is the one who lent me his library card with which..."_

Distractedly he check the time on the clock. She should be here any minute now.

"_..Here's a memory-image of her. If you have seen this woman, please contact..." _

_D_epressing-rich-bar-guy held up a picture of a woman...Could that be the same one he had seen years before?

"Oh come on man, seriously? If she wanted to be found you'd have found her by now! Get over it! Move on!"

"Talking to ourselves now, are we?"

Jack smiled.

A sleek pair of arms slid their way from behind him to circle his waist. The captain tilted his head back slightly and breathed in her perfume.

"Hey there, Lucy."

One of Lucy's hands slid up to his chest. "Hi, Jack."

"It's good to see you again..." He said, turning around.

SLAP!

The captain's face flew with the impact of Lucy's hand and he felt his cheek turning red.

Jack looked down...

"You made me drop my ice cream!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Two years!" Lucy kept yelling, her curly black hair bouncing rather dramatically as she followed Jack, who smiled jovially at the surprised gazes of the people they passed.

The captain saw yet another picture of the red-haired woman, but this time it had REWARD on it. He pulled the picture down and stuffed it in his pocket. Money is a great way to attract attention, and now depressing-bar-guy had his. Jack decided he would keep an eye out for the lady, as long as it didn't interfere with his plans.

Lucy continued her rant undisturbed."Two years and not a word! What kind of guy does that to a girl? And where on earth have you been?"

"I must have been busy, I guess..." He paused, then shrugged "But I'm here now."

"Well don't get any silly ideas. I've had it with you."

"Sure you have, and quite right, too." He nodded.

"I'm serious. I am only interested in good, reliable men now."

"Come on, Lucy, show me what you've been working on. I've heard you've come up with some great new ideas."

Good old Lucy. Although she was only 25, she was one of the best researchers of the Agency, and liked to be reminded of just how smart she was.

"well, I _have_ got something really exiting going on right now. Wait 'till you see what it is!"

When they reached the Lab gate, Lucy placed her hand on the panel and spoke into the microphone. "Agent professor Lucy Wellborn. Code number 1265GH5252LW265"

"IDENTIFICATION ACCEPTED." Answered the computer as the doors opened.

"They're using your voice for the main computer?" Jack asked in surprise.

Lucy blushed slightly "There's no need to sound so amazed. It was either me or Professor Ughert Hoffelheim..."

The lab was a huge complex, divided into 5 main buildings, all with explosion-proof walls and windows, immersed in a peaceful-looking park. The two of them headed to the south building, known informally by agents as "Madhouse" for its experimental technology.

Lucy once more identified herself so they could enter. Jack heard the door lock behind them.

"At the moment it's just me here..." Lucy said with a certain amount of pride "Professor Hoffelheim is working in the Neuroscience building, but he won't tell me what they're doing. So I'm officially head of the Madhouse." She grinned.

"Congratulations, professor." Jack smiled, leaning against the wall with apparent nonchalance while secretly feeling with his foot for the Intercom modem, which is usually placed near the floor next to the door..._Got it!_

"Just let me get changed and I'll show you around." Lucy tied her hair back in a bun as best she could, put on her white lab-coat and after a moment of hesitation pulled out and wore a pair or red-rimmed glasses.

While she got ready the captain hit the modem with his heel, breaking the audio connection.

Jack tilted his head in appreciation "You look nice like that...I'd never seen you all dressed-up for work..." He took a step towards her and Lucy instinctively took a step back. _That hurt._

Slightly flushed she buttoned up the lab-coat.

Jack looked around for something to talk about.

"Hey, what's that?" He asked, pointing at a huge barrel of what looked like greyish water. Lucy beamed "It's my latest creation! Magnetic Liquid"

"Huh?" Jack's face was blank, but Lucy was only too happy to explain.

The captain noticed with the corner of his eye that the smashed modem was flashing. Someone was trying to call the lab. His jaw tightened as she spoke.

"It's a liquid that works like magnets, all it needs is a little electric stimulation and it has the power to hold entire ships together indefinitely! Imagine never having to use screws or bolts, nor weld any metal ever again! Fix any shipwreck without the need of spare parts!"

Lucy brimmed with enthusiasm "And if the polarity is reversed, you have the opposite effect, opening the possibility of limitless energy... Liquid magnetism could be the future, and we're right here leading the way..."

"Lucy this is fantastic!" Jack cried in awe "You're amazing!" Lucy lowered her head and turned around so he would not see her blush, but he knew her too well. To direct his gaze elsewhere, she pointed at a silver sphere hovering over her desk. "Try and pick that up, Jack" The captain moved over to the table, but as soon as his hand got close to the sphere it moved delicately with a soft hum. "What is this?" He asked in amazement, gazing fascinated as the sphere lightly glided through the air as if were weightless, directed by the slightest movement of his hands. Lucy smiled, pleased with herself "It's a toy for my niece, a simple ball filled with high-detection magnetic liquid; it responds to the metals in your blood system. And that" she pointed at a small metal rod "Is filled with reversed magnetic liquid to be attached to vehicles. As soon as two ships get too close, the reverse polarity will keep them apart, avoiding any accidents!"

"And what is that?" the captain asked, reaching to a small grey object.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT!" She cried in alarm and his hands snapped back.

"That's my pet cyberdog, Roger. He's an antique! " She patted it affectionately as the dog stood and made a small, broken bark, wagging its rusty tail.

Jack looked at the modem again, it was still flashing. His time was running out.

"...Some time to perfect the liquid" Lucy was saying "You see that barrel over there? That needs to be thrown away. The liquid only holds for a few hours, and it's flammable, it's completely useless. I've been waiting for days for Base to send someone to collect it, but nobody's turned up yet. That's thanks to the wonderfully efficient administration office" She muttered with a grimace.

The captain looked at the unstable and highly dangerous liquid...And came up with an idea.

_Ha!_ _I'm not just a pretty face!_

He grinned "I'll take it off your hands for you."

"Really?" Lucy perked up " It makes me nervous: that stuff catches fire worse than anything I've ever seen...It would be so awfully helpful if you could take it to the Disposal office for me!"

"Anything to make my little Lucy happy." He beamed. Then he looked at the modem light again and his smile faded. It was no longer flashing. They were coming.

"Listen, I've got my lunch break in a couple of hours: we could go to this darling little restaurant I know..."

"Look, Lucy... I'm going to have to go, but I'll be back I promise..."

"Don't" She stopped him with a whisper.

"Don't what?"

She laughed weakly "I'm so stupid. One day you tell me you're going on a mission but you'll be back for our weekend at Mapi beach, and I believe you, I really do. I pack my bags and I wait for you, I wait patiently, but you never show up. I keep waiting, in case you meant the following weekend. It took me months before I unpacked..."

"Lucy."

"you just disappeared! I didn't hear from you for two years. _Two whole years_ and not a word!"

Her voice was beginning to break.

"Then I get this call, and you show up as if nothing has happened, all cheerful and charming as always, and off I go again! I instantly forgive you and forget everything that's happened. But you're just going to disappear again, aren't you? I'm so _stupid_..."

"Lucy..." The captain reached for her arm but she snatched it away.

"Don't touch me! Don't you dare touch me!" Jack stood still as she started hitting his chest.

"Where were you? Where _were_ you?"

"I'm so sorry, Lucy" Jack caught her wrists and pulled her to him, embracing her as she finally allowed her tears to fall. "I'm so very sorry."

"I thought you were dead." She sobbed. "Nobody would tell me anything. I thought you were dead, Jack!"

The captain held her a moment, with his eyes closed. Then he heard a knock on the door.

"Professor Wellborn?" A voice called.

"Lucy" Jack spoke urgently "The truth is I don't know where I've been. The Agency has done something to me, they've taken all my memories of the past two years, I remember nothing."

"The Agency?" She gasped "Why would they do that?"

"Professor Wellborn, are you in there?" The voice outside called more insistently.

She looked at Jack before answering. "Yes I'm here. I'm working and I do not wish to be disturbed."

"I don't know why they did it, that's what I'm trying to find out. I'm going to get my memory back, Lucy."

"Professor, why have you not answered the calls from Head Office?" Lucy looked at the modem, then glared reproachfully at Jack, who winked in response.

"I...My cyberdog seems to have broken the modem, I did not hear the call."

There was silence as the man outside clearly pondered the veracity of the claim.

"Are you alone, professor?"

"Yes, of course I am. If you are looking for professor Hoffelheim he is in the Neuroscience Lab." Her eyes widened as she said those last few words...The Neuroscience Lab...

"We are looking for Captain Jack Harkness, we hear has been seen with you."

Jack shook his head at her.

"Captain Jack Harkness is a vain, fickle fool. We spoke briefly and parted ways before I came to work. He is not here."

"Do you mind if we come in and check for ourselves?" It wasn't a question.

"Why do you want him?" She asked, searching for the answer in Jack's face.

"He's gone rogue" The man replied. "The captain has stolen important Agency property and withholds vital information. He cannot escape. Now let us come in."

_They're going to kill you!_ She mouthed at him in alarm.

"Give me your security code, I need to make sure you are sent by Head office." Lucy stalled.

_What are you going to do?Where will you go?_

Jack showed her his wrist and she breathed a sigh of relief. He embraced Lucy one more time and kissed her forehead, the captain then ran to the barrel of flammable magnetic liquid as the agent outside gave the security code.

"Now open the door!" The man demanded. Lucy walked to the entrance, and just as she was about to open it there was a bright flash as Captain Jack Harkness disappeared, along with the barrel.

_Praise the vortex manipulator!_ Lucy thought smugly, proud of her invention.

"There, you see?" She chided the group of agents as they inspected the Lab. "Congratulations for wasting your time and mine."

"Our apologies, Professor Wellborn." The agent replied curtly. "Should the Captain try to contact you, it is imperative that you inform head office immediately."

"You can count on me to do the right thing." Lucy assured him. "Now please let me resume my work. And good luck on your hunt, I suspect you might need it." She added as she closed the door at their departure.

Finally alone and slightly overcome by all the excitement, Lucy took a deep breath.

"What a day, Roger...Why can't I just find a good, trustworthy guy? Or is there no such thing?"

She muttered to her pet, reaching into her pocket for a tissue. She felt something odd and pulled it out; it was a piece of paper, carefully folded. Jack must have slipped it in when he kissed her.

_Dear Lucy,_

_thanks for the barrel, It'll be useful._

_Xxx_

_Jack_

_P.s._

_In 2 hours, go to the small café in the olive grove. _

_Ask for John._


	6. Chapter 6

Jack reappeared in an alley and instantaneously covered his nose. My did London stink that year!

He quickly checked if the barrel of Magnetic Liquid was intact and stable. Of course he had always know that Lucy had been developing the stuff, but he needed her help to procure some and she might not have been very cooperative had she known his plans. Good old Lucy, she had always trusted him, since they were kids... Jack tried to ignore the niggling twinge of guilt; He had been so engrossed in the loss of his memory that he had forgotten everyone he'd left behind.

Oh, well, the captain shrugged. John would cheer her up, he was a good guy and he liked curls.

Jack looked at the small wooden houses, cramped and squashed together as were the lives of their inhabitants. Centuries may pass, but there is something ever unchanging in the Spirit of London and its citizens, constantly walking a fine line of contradictions: forever bustling and vivacious yet laid-back, understated yet surprising, traditional yet innovative, apparently indifferent yet capable of staggering courage and community spirit, always in a hurry even when going nowhere...And alive, so very, very much alive.

The streets began to go quieter as the mellow September sun began to set, and Jack made his way to the rendez-vous spot: a small, empty house near a quaint little bakery.

The captain walked in and saw the shadow of his client, waiting for him. "Captain Jack Harkness," a guttural, thick voice called him. "We have come, for your message was most interesting, but waiting in this stinking, vermin-infested planet is unacceptable."

"Hi!" Jack flashed his best smile "I'm sorry but this was the best hiding place: nobody here would recognise or want to steal this very precious substance," he continued, patting the barrel proudly, "I assure you, what I have here is worth the inconvenience, Miss Pon-Gurdletrop Herpol Slitheen."

The alien looked at him dubiously "Do you really have such a thing as magnetic liquid? I haven't heard of it anywhere else..."

Jack grinned "observe" he cried dramatically as he opened the barrel of faulty liquid. He repeated Lucy's description of magnetic liquid from memory as he cautiously demonstrated the reaction of the substance to metal objects. Jack was careful to make the demonstration last as briefly as possible, painfully aware of the liquid's instability, but the Slitheen female seemed duly impressed. He knew her mind was reeling with the profit even one small barrel could mean to her and her family.

"Interesting...But you only have a small amount, we really cannot do much with so little...Oh well, we'll take it off your hands for a Chula Supreme Hoggleblaster Lazer gun."

"Oh no," Jack shook his head "No haggling here, I have given you my price. This barrel is worth a spaceship and I won't part with it for less. You know that with your technology you can study and replicate this liquid as much as you like once you have a sample. Don't think your pretty face can distract me." The Slitheen pondered a moment, but Jack knew she would have easily paid more for such a unique liquid. Plus a compliment never hurt.

"Agreed." She finally nodded "Here are the keys to a one-man craft. Do you wish to inspect it? You can leave the barrel here." She asked coaxingly. "Gladly."Jack smiled "Just let me put the safety lock on this barrel. If anyone touches it without the security number the barrel will self-destruct and also drench the thief in acid. We wouldn't want anyone trying to steal it while we're gone, don't we?"

"No, of course not" muttered Pon-Gurdletrop Herpol Slitheen darkly.

"Now let's go and have a look at that spaceship." Jack winked.

The captain took his time looking at the spacecraft to make sure he wasn't being given a piece of junk. It was far from new, but everything seemed to be in order and it had a rather impressive set of extras, including the very useful presence of nanogenes.

"Yup, this ship will do fine." He nodded "You can have the security code."

He gave her the number, she gave him the keys to the ship. The deal was done.

"Nice doing business with you, captain." The Slitheen female croaked.

He leaned in closer "You know, I've always found Raxacoricofallapatorians very attractive, with your huge watery eyes and rounded cheeks...But you must be the most beautiful Raxacoricofallapatorian I have ever seen. Your figure is so wonderfully...bumpy; and I must say, your claws are just so carefully manicured...Could I offer you a glass of Baccante wine?"

The Slitheen blushed a dark green "oh my, how...modern of you!" she gushed. "I'm sorry but humans aren't really my type, however I'll allow you a couple of drinks to tell me more..."

Jack smiled as he reached for the bottle and quickly glanced at the clock. It was already past midnight. He only needed to detain her for another hour or so and the magnetic liquid would be gone, through no fault of his own.

London, Sunday 2nd September 1666. A great day for business.


	7. Chapter 7

The life of a con-man isn't that bad, really.

Sure, there's some running, actually there's a _lot_ of running involved but you're free to come and go as you please, free from rules and restrictions...And the money is nothing to sneer about!

It's true that, ever since he'd had his memory stolen, Jack had begun to keep little mementoes in his bag, small items he'd take if he met a particularly interesting person or lived a special moment, but that didn't mean he was lonely or anything! The captain toyed distractedly with the whiskey tumbler in his hand. He'd been away from home for so long, yet he was no closer to getting those two years back...

It was the music, that's what it was. The music they were playing was getting Jack down. "Can we play something more cheerful? I know there's a war on, but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun, right?" Jack walked to the phonograph to change the disk, and soon a more light-hearted song was playing. It didn't help. Maybe he just needed some fresh air. The captain walked on to the balcony and took deep breaths as he looked at the London city lights below. Jack closed his eyes, the fresh night breeze cooling his skin...And then he heard the Air raid siren.

At the beginning of the war everyone would get really agitated when they heard that sound, but now people were so used to it there was little fear left; it had been trained out of them, like when there's a stench in a room that is overpowering at first but if you stay there long enough you can't smell it anymore. Jack looked on as he saw the planes approaching, and then he noticed something odd hanging from a barrage balloon. Was it what he thought it was? Picking up a pair of binoculars, he used them to get a better look at...yes, it was indeed a girl! It was almost comical how she was holding on to the ropes for dear life while bombs fell all around her, Jack smiled. The clothes had nothing to do with the period, she had to be a time agent! Jack looked at her face: she was pretty, too. The poor girl seemed to be in real trouble, she probably needed some help. Where was her partner? Why was she alone? He lowered the binoculars slightly to have a peek at the young lady's behind...

Jack decided to go and save her himself...

.

.

.

...The memory was fading, reality was inexorably pulling him back.

Jack wished he didn't have to wake up.

He could feel cold metal chafing his wrists, hear the echoes of distant footsteps and taste the bitterness on his parched tongue. He missed his hangovers.

When unconscious, Jack dreamt of the past: Lucy demonstrating the vortex manipulator, being stuck in the nineteenth century, winning _ rear of the year, _his encounter with depressing-bar-guy with his obsession for that red-headed woman...and his latest flash-back, which was when he first met Rose and the Doctor.

Many, many years after those things had happened, the captain was now tied up in a giant spaceship being killed over and over again by an unhinged time lord.

It's funny how things turn out.

Jack really, really wished he didn't have to wake up.

Reluctantly the captain opened his eyes and beheld once more the dark and sinister cell in which he had been imprisoned. He hoped to see one of Martha's relatives, he always felt a little bit better when he could share a glance with a fellow captive, with someone who could even just begin to understand what he was going through. Plus the little sister wasn't bad-looking, either, he mused.

He heard footsteps approaching and his heart slowly sank, for he recognised their rhythm and they bore no friend closer. "Wakey wakey sleepy head," an eerily cheerful voice sang as the door to his cell opened "early to rise and early to be dead!" Jack clenched his jaw and slowly looked up.

_Never show him fear._

He might scream in agony as he died over and over again, but he would never, _never, _show that man fear.

"We really must stop meeting like this." Jack greeted his captor. "People are starting to talk."

The Time Lord grinned "You're so funny! After what is this...eight months? After eight months you're still cracking jokes." His smile turned to a sinister sneer "Maybe I need to crack _you._"

"Oh come on, that was terrible. You really need to hire some better writers if you want to improve your one-liners."

The Time Lord chuckled sarcastically then moved in closer to Jack, staring into his eyes quizzically, as if he were a strange mystery to him.

"So funny, aren't you Jack? But tell me, aren't you scared, Jack? Have you already forgotten what I can do to you, Jack? Or maybe you enjoy dying..." The Master whispered in his ear.

"What's it like, Jack? Tell me, what's it like to die?"

"Untie me and I'll show you."

The Master stood for a moment in silence, then smirked "You fool. You could make things so much easier for yourself...Why do you have to be so stubborn?" he cried as he walked over to get some "tools".

The Master had been taunting and torturing him for months. He had taken everything away from him, including his little bag of memories, in an attempt to humiliate and break him, but Jack never allowed himself to show fear, never begged for mercy. He was beginning to realise that, as time passed, with every joke Jack made, with every resistance and refusal to betray his friends, with each time he would not beg for mercy or vow loyalty, the Master was losing the battle. The time lord had thought he could tame the immortal man and break him, like he planned to do with all humankind. But if even after months of terrible deaths, with no hope of escape, this man stood up against him...What hope did he have against an entire race? The Gallifreyan wanted to make an example of him, but was now forced to hide him away from the rest of the world.

It was this knowledge that, most of all, kept Jack going: The Doctor was the Master's greatest foe, the Captain was his greatest humiliation.

"Why do you make me do this to you?" The Time Lord Cried insanely as he approached his prisoner.

Jack braced himself, taking deep breaths. _Don't show him fear._

"When will you just surrender? It's not so difficult: just beg for mercy..."

Jack realised there was another advantage to immortality his captor hadn't thought of.

"When will you learn? WHEN WILL YOU JUST GIVE UP?"

The Captain raised his eyes to meet his captor's crazed stare, and smiled.

"Never."

.

.

.

Jack awoke with a gasp. He was sitting up in bed, perspiring and panting. He raked his hand through his hair and rubbed his eyes. _That dream again._ The captain wouldn't admit to it but even now, after so long, he had nightmares about the year that never was.

He shakily got up and walked to the window of his apartment. He couldn't go to Torchwood early or they'd guess something was wrong...Jack walked to the wardrobe and pulled out a small black rucksack. After the master was defeated, the captain had all his things returned to him, including the little souvenirs. At the beginning he collected them in case someone tried to steal his memories again, hoping the mementoes would help rebuild his past, but as time went on they became a consolation, something to hold on to. Whenever his nightmares made it too difficult to sleep, he would pull some out and reminisce. After so many years, he sometimes forgot some of the items he had collected. Sitting on the couch, le randomly pulled out something to look at: a photo of his very first Torchwood team, a badge a German soldier gave him that Christmas Eve, and a folded piece of paper Jack didn't recognise at first. He opened it to see the now faded and hardly recognisable image of a lady smiling back at him. Although he had only met the man once, there was something so earnest in the way he had spoken of this woman... Maybe that's why he had kept the poster: there was such hope in it...

Of course it was a sentimental, silly notion, but Jack had been around long enough to know something pure when he saw it, and had learned enough to never laugh at it.

"I'm sorry, depressing-bar-guy." The captain muttered in the silence of his home.

"I hope you found her."

Quietly Jack put everything away and went to have a shower, unaware that the very same day he was going to meet the lady in the poster.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's note:

The following chapter follows the events in the episode "The Stolen Earth." I cannot take credit for some of the lines the characters say as I have taken them _verbatim_ from the show. Please forgive me for doing this, but it was necessary to bring fic and canon together.

I tried to keep it as short as possibile so as not to bore you with things you already know.

The following episodes will be back to just "my" stuff, I promise.

I hope you are enjoying this fic, we've only a couple of chapters left to go.

Thanks for reading!

Feral

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Jack walked into the Torchwood hub a couple of hours later. "'Morning!" He grunted before slumping into a chair. "You look terrible, what happened?" Gwen exclaimed. Ianto chimed in cheerfully "Rough night? Or...a very good one?" he added, half-jokingly.

The captain was about to give a quick retort when the whole building began to shake violently. Before he knew it Jack had been thrown to the floor.

"Woah! What happened? Was it the rift?" He cried "Gwen? Ianto? You ok?"

"No broken bones." Muttered Ianto ruefully "Slight loss in dignity, no change there then."

"Come, I'll look outside." Jack stated, running to the door. As soon as he was out he froze, looking up to the sky. The light blue hue of the morning had been replaced by dark space adorned with foreign planets...Now, Jack was pretty sure he wasn't having another nightmare, but..."That's just impossible!" There was no doubt about it, Earth had been relocated!

Soon he was back inside, typing frantically at the computer and trying to figure out exactly what was going on. Someone had placed the Earth among 26 other planets, however ensuring that heat and atmosphere remained stable. Whoever it was, they wanted them alive. Jack was raking his brains for possibilities as he talked with Gwen and Ianto, then his train of thought was interrupted by Gwen pointing out a little red dot on the screen."It's a space station. It must belong to those who brought us here..."

The captain grew very tense as he looked at the readings: a cluster of red dots approaching the Earth. "I guess they're coming to say hi." As the three of them watched the ships come ever closer, his phone rang. "Martha Jones! Voice of a Nightingale! Tell me you put something in my drink."

Their conversation was interrupted by a chilling, metallic voice Jack knew all too well.

"EXTERMINATE!"

The captain's blood ran cold. "No..."

"EXTERMINATE!"

"Oh, no..."

"EXTERMINATE!"

Of all the voices he could have heard...And his vortex manipulator useless...

Jack embraced his team and kissed their foreheads. They were both so young.

"There's nothing I can do." he admitted helplessly. "I'm sorry. We're dead."

The Daleks, the soulless creatures who had been the cause of Jack's first Death, were taking over the planet. Despondent and spent, for what felt like hours Jack just leaned against the wall, barely heeding the echoing voices surrendering the Earth to its doom.

"Someone's trying to get in touch." He heard Gwen say, but what was the point? What could they do?

"The whole world is crying out, just leave it." He muttered sadly.

"Captain Jack Harkness, shame on you! Now stand to attention, sir!" Called the imperative voice of a woman whose identity everybody knew: Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister. She created a contact whith all those who had worked with the Doctor, and in a moment a new team was created with a simple plan: _Call the Doctor._

Harriet Jones, Martha, Torchwood and Sarah Jane Smith pooled their resources to send out a signal using Mrs. Jones' subwave Network.

Ianto cautiousy pointed out that once the signal started transmitting, the network would become visible by the Daleks.

"yes" Harriet said matter-of-factly, "and they'll trace it back to me. But my life doesn't matter, not if it saves the earth."

Moved, Jack saluted her: "Ma'am." was all he could say. What else _could_ one say?

The signal was transmitted, the Daleks found her. As they blew up her door, Harriet Jones was still typing frantically, masking the transmittion and ultimately relinquishing the subwave network to Torchwood.

the daleks lined up before her, like a firing squad. _Get out of there._ Jack thought desperately, bitterly aware that it was impossibile.

Stoically she stood "Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister." She introduced herself.

"Yes, we know who you are." answered those hateful beings.

Unwavering in the face of Death, she replied:

"You know nothing of any human, and that will be your downfall."

These were the final words of Harriet Jones, Former Prime Minister and Architect of Britain's second Golden Age.

He lowered his head respectfully when her signal was cut.

Then, all of a sudden, the screen came alive with the wide-eyed face of the Doctor and some redhead woman. Jack half-laughed as pure relief overcame him, then he felt a wave of anger as he cried "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"

"And who's...he?" The Time Lord's new companion pointed at the cam.

"Captain Jack. Don't" the Doctor warned her "Just...Don't." and the captain smiled.

Thanks to Martha's indigo device Jack finally got his Manipulator working again. He had to get to the Doctor.

"I'm gonna be back." He promised his team.

_I'm_ _gonna_ _be_ _back._ He promised himself.

Then off he went, and all hell broke loose.

.

The Doctor, the "other" Doctor (Jack didn't really understand what happened there but he would never admit to it. Something about a crisis, perhaps? He was sure Lucy would have gotten it.) along with Rose, Doctor's-new-fiery-chick-turned-Time-Lord-Donna and the captain successfully defeated the Daleks and returned Earth to its normal position. All in a good day's work!

When the time came to say goodbye, Donna was particularly friendly. As he walked away from the ship, he wondered about his own reticence: Jack was usually very happy to explore new "friendships", but this time he held back; something was telling him to leave this one alone and behave, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was

"Must be because she's his companion." He told himself as he left the TARDIS. Maybe Rose had put him off competing with the Doctor? Jack snorted; that wasn't the reason. He shrugged, it obviously couldn't be anything important or he would have remembered...Wouldn't he?

Try as he might, Jack couldn't stop thinking about her. _Donna_..._Donna_... What was it about that redhead that...wait...Redhead?

"Doctor! Donna! Wait!" Jack cried, running back to the TARDIS as she slowly began to fade.

He was too late.

.

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	9. Chapter 9

Jack went back to Torchwood. The place was a mess from outside... "No. Oh no."

_Please, no._

"Gwen! Ianto!" Jack cried as he ran in. Shards of broken glass covered the floor, half the ceiling had collapsed and steam was spewing from ripped pipes. "Gwen! Ianto!" He called desperately, shielding his eyes as bits of metal fell from above. His hand was shaking.

_Please, please, not again..._

_"_Anybody?_" _He whispered brokenly. then he heard movement from the far end of the room.

"We're here! We're ok!" Gwen called, emerging. "We need to hire a cleaner though." Ianto smiled ruefully as he looked about.

Unable to speak, Jack ran to them and embraced them both, lowering his face and trying hard to breathe normally again. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you." He muttered. His thoughts and words were for Owen and Tosh as much as they were for Gwen and Ianto.

Gwen gently patted him on the shoulder "Don't worry, we're fine. And you came back, just as you promised."

Ianto didn't say anything, but he found Jack's hand and held it.

Pulling himself together, and slightly embarassed by his loss of composure, Jack coughed before he got back down to business.

"Gwen, you need to find me anything you can on Donna."

"Who?"

"Donna!" he cried in exasperation "The Doctor's new companion: Red hair, a bit of a temper...You saw her on the screen, remember? Look up any Doctor-ish events in England that have anyone called Donna Involved. If nothing comes up for England, work your way through great Britain and through the whole planet if necessary. I'll be back as quick as I can."

"Nobody would go through such hassle to find me..." Ianto pondered as he began picking up the debris of the recent explosion"But then I can't blame them: I wouldn't do it for me either."

Jack ran back to his house and pulled out the poster from his rucksack. The image was so faded he couldn't be sure, but it looked like her. Sure enough "Picture designed from memory. Possible name: Donna" was written in the description. "Possible name"? "Designed from memory"?

Was Jack actually helping a stalker? Promising himself he would investigate further, he went back to Torchwood... He had the feeling it would be some time before he felt comfortable leaving his friends alone again.

"Gwen, tell me you have good news." The captain exclaimed as he walked in. Gwen nodded as she replied "I hunted through unusual occurrences over the past few years, pictures, articles etc. and I have found a Donna Noble who was working as a temp at HC Clements -that's the one that was destroyed- then she disappeared after the Adipose incident."

"The Adipose incident," Ianto reflected "or what I like to call 'Night of the living flab'. My aunt was taking Adipose pills, I can't help wondering if one of her chins is still out there, in space...Maybe married to her cellulite..." His voice trailed off as he noticed Gwen's glare.

"This is where her mother lives." Gwen handed the address to Jack.

"Now don't go running off though, we need your help here first!" She added warningly.

.

The following morning, Jack walked to the home belonging to Donna's mother. Still not quite sure what to say, he rang the doorbell.

"Yes?" a blond, stern-looking woman answered moodily, but then she saw his face and presented him with a warm smile "Oh, hello. May I help you?"

"Yeah, hi. I'm a friend of the Doctor's and..."

"YOU GET AWAY!" The woman cried in alarm, pushing him. "You never come back, you hear?You just stay away from my Donna."

"Oh calm down Sylvia." An elderly man placed a hand on her shoulder "He probably doesn't know. I'll talk to him." he then looked at Jack. "Let's talk outside, young man."

The kindly gentleman walked down the street with the captain, sadly explaining the situation. "You see, the Doctor erased her memory, she must never remember being his companion or her brain will not b able to take it. She'll die." The old man sighed "Poor Donna. She always thought of herself as 'just a temp'...But with the Doctor she had begun to believe in herself, she had come to understand the wonderful young woman she is. She saw herself as I see her." He looked up to the sky. "She'll never know she was up there, in the stars. She'll go back to thinking she's just a dot on the face of the Earth, never knowing how many times she saved it." His voice broke, and Jack politely looked away. The captain couldn't help wondering if the Doctor asked Donna if that was what she wanted, if maybe she would have preferred death... But then Jack knew the Doctor would never have allowed it. The captain asked himself if what happened to him had been in any way like what was done to Donna. He shook his head. At least she didn't remember having it all taken away.

"Tell me." The captain questioned her grandfather "Did she ever mention meeting anyone special?"

"What, a man?" The gentleman's brow was furrowed as he tried to think. "She once told me she thought she would never find love, because she had met the perfect man but it was all a simulation, so that meant the perfect man couldn't exist in real life. I never really quite understood what she meant." he looked up at Jack "It wasn't you, was it? I'm sorry, my boy..."

"No, no!" the captain hastened to clarify "I only met Donna once."

"Ah I see." the man nodded. "You don't fit the description, anyway. She said her husband could hardly say a word, and you seem talkative enough."

"Thank you." Jack shook the gentleman's hand. "I'll be going now."

"Yes, of course." the grandfather smiled "Off for another adventure, eh? I would love to have one, some day...Do my bit for the planet, so to speak. Meet aliens and all that...But I'm too old, now." He smiled sadly. "Goodbye, young man, and good luck. We'll take care of Donna."

Jack began to walk away, then he turned around. "Sir." he called to the grandfather.

"Sir, Donna has forgotten her adventures, she has forgotten she has saved the world many times over, she's forgotten she is worshipped in far away planets as a saviour... But we remember."

With a nod, Jack turned and walked away, his eyes followed by the brimming eyes of a proud grandfather.

.

.

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Back in the solitude of his home, Jack lay on the sofa, looking at the faded poster, wondering what to do. Donna was just like him, living life with a huge gap in it where memories once were...But she didn't know it! He couldn't decide the best course of action. If she couldn't remember him and could never remember him, what was the point in informing depressing-bar-guy? Was it more merciful to tell him the truth or allow him to hope, forever in vain? Jack decided to wait and see.

In a way, he was going to let Donna decide: if she were to fall in love with someone else, live a happy life with all the trimmings, then he would just let her be. If instead he had a hint, even just a hint, that she would have chosen Depressing-bar-guy, then he would figure something out. Hence Captain Jack Harkness promised himself he would check on Donna Noble every year, to see how she was doing.

12 months later he called her house:

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is Jack...Torch. Am I speaking with miss Donna Noble?"

"Yeah,l what do you want?

"Would you kindly have the time to answer a few questions for a quick survey?"

"Oi, look here, I've got better things to do than answer you're silly survey! I'm going to be late for work! What do you think your doing, calling at this blooming hour?"

Jack tried to answer, but he couldn't slip a word in.

"This just isn't a sensible hour to call people! What's next? Dawn? Are you going to be calling at dawn next?"

"I..I'm sorry" the captain stammered.

"And so you should be." She seemed to calm down slightly "'Ere, look. I know you're just doing your job, so I'll pass you me grandad, ok? He's always happy to chat with strangers...Grandaaaaaad!" She yelled.

"Hello?" The kindly old man answered the phone.

"Hello, sir...it's Jack: the friend of the Doctor. We spoke last year..."

The grandfather remembered him, and the two talked as if they were old friends, or more accurately like two survivors of a great war.

"I just wanted to see how Donna was doing." Jack eventually asked.

"Oh, she's doing well, considering. She's found a good job in a posh office. She can't stop rubbing it in her mum's face, you should see it!" He said affectionately. "She's even started dating this man...He seems like a good chap, although nothing spectacular. She seems...content."

"Thank you, sir."

"We'll be hearing from you again, won't we?"

"Probably."

"Good. It's nice to know someone is looking after my little girl. I won't be here forever, so...Thank you."

"...Goodbye, sir." Jack didn't know what else to say.

"Goodbye."

.

The following year Jack stood at the far end of the church as he watched Donna get married. He was glad for her, although he couldn't help feel a twinge of pity for Depressing-bar-guy...But she looked so happy.

Once the ceremony was over, he began to walk away when all of a sudden he thought he saw something from the corner of his eye: a blue box... Could it be? Jack turned to look, but nothing was there. He must have imagined it

.

It was quite a while before Jack met Donna again. He was in a bar having a drink after work when she descended upon the place with a stampede of girl friends. "Oi! Barman!" She cried "Bring your strongest cocktails here and keep 'em coming. I'm not walking out of here until I _can't_ walk out of here!" The other ladies chattered approvingly: "Quite right, Donna." "We'll have a nice night out, just like old times." "Who needs men, eh?" "they're all pigs, that's what they are!" "Now lets go find someone to snog, eh?" "that's all men are good for:" "Yeah, who needs 'em? They're useless, we're better off on our own." "Not on our own: together!" They cheered.

"Are they going to start burning their bras now?" Ianto mused while Jack frowned slightly, he didn't like how she was the centre of attention in what was clearly a support-party.

"Sorry, Ianto, I'll be right back." The captain said as he motioned to the barman. The fact that Jack was a extremely good customer came in handy on this occasion, because he needed a favour.

Moments later he walked over to Donna's table, wearing the bar's all-black uniform.

"Good evening, ladies." he flashed them his best smile "What can I get you?"

"Anything you like, as long as it's strong." Donna cried. More cheers ensued.

"Excellent choice. Might I ask what we are celebrating?" He cocked his head to one side and raised an eyebrow in one of his best seductive poses. "We're celebrating, "Donna began "my freedom from a stupid, slimy, scum-bag of a man who doesn't know a good thing when he sees it."

"hear! Hear!" the girls nodded emphatically.

"I should have known the moment I married him. I had doubts before the wedding but mum said they were just normal jitters and once married I'd be happy..." her fiery attitude began to wane as her voice grew softer. "I never was happy. Never _really_ happy. I guess I'm better off on me own. If the perfect man doesn't exist, then I won't settle." She nodded determinedly, encouraged by her friends. "Even if I'll be alone all me life." Jack moved closer and he saw her blush slightly as he bent down to look in her eyes earnestly. "From what I can see, you're right not to settle: you're a beautiful, bright woman and any man would be lucky to have you. There's no chance you will be alone all your life, I promise." He stood straight again. He meant that promise. "And since you are such a charming group of ladies, the first round is on me." The women cheered, yet again, and then huddled up in hushed exchanges of approval as he walked to the bar: "That was sooo cool!" "He was _hitting_ on you!" "OMG did you see his bum? I could just bite into that..." "We need to come here more often!"

Jack walked back with a tray full of cocktails and as he served them he became aware of the girls nudging Donna, who coughed slightly. "Erm..Thank you" She smiled "Uhm...at what time..." He knew where this was going. "Ladies" he interrupted her. "I've finished duty now, and I have someone waiting for me...Sadly." he added for her benefit, and he winked for good measure. "Goodnight, Ladies." He said with a flourish and then walked back to the bar to get changed and pay the barman for the drinks.

Ianto in the meantime had watched the whole scene from his seat at the bar. "What was that all about?" he asked, mildly interested. Finishing Ianto's drink, Jack shrugged. "Let's go."

"Jack?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think you could keep the uniorm?"

.

.

.

Donna used her money to start a successful charity against child labour, a cause she fought fiercely for the rest of her life. When asked what motivated her so much, she was unable to answer. She jokingly said it must have come from her work as a temp, and although it was during that time that she discovered a profound loathing of slavery, she was never quite able to point out the incident that triggered it. Donna Noble died at the age of 65 from a stroke. Had she been with someone she would have easily survived, but sadly she lived alone. A friend who had a copy of the keys found her body the following week. Donna always insisted that she wasn't going to settle, and that if the perfect man for her didn't exist, then she was fine with being alone. She never remarried.

At the burial site her friends gathered for a final farewell.

Had they looked at the shadows by the church, they would have noticed a tall, rather striking man in a greatcoat leaning against the wall as the body was lowered. They would have seen him shake his head, press something on his wrist, and vanish.

But nobody saw him, and Donna Noble's grave was covered by the very earth she had saved.


	10. Chapter 10

"She was p..p...perfect and I could...could...couldn't even c..c..call her name."

Lee needed a moment to pull himself together, and the young man who had come to talk to him respectfully walked away...Then all of a sudden he was back again!

"Hi" He said to an astounded Lee " I know you might think this impossibile, but I thought this was the best time to come and tell you, because otherwise you'll be waiting for years and there's no point..."

.

The man opened his mouth, didn't know what to say, and closed it again.

"The thing is, and please don't get too hopeful, I know where Donna Noble is. "

Lee couldn't help standing up in excitement. "W...Where?" he cried.

Jack took a deep breath "She's from a few centuries ago."

Depressing-bar-guy clenched his fists and looked angry. Ok, he didn't believe him, Jack thought. Well, it _was_ fairly hard to believe...

"Before you say anything, look at me, look at my face. You've just seen me walk out the bar, and look at me now. Can't you see the difference?" Depressing-bar-guy inspected the captain distrustfully, then his eyes widened: the clothes were different, of course, but Jack was also painfully aware that over the centuries he had aged, and was no longer the youth of their first encounter. He pulled out the poster he had kept, it was now a few centuries old, and a picture he had taken of her at the bar before leaving. He handed it to Depressing-bar-guy who stared in amazement at the aged images. "How?" was all Depressing-bar-guy could muster.

"Time travel agent." Jack replied simply. "Donna is in the past, I know: I've seen her."

"T..Take me..p..please" the man implored shakily.

"I'm sorry, but Donna doesn't remember you. She's had to have her memories taken away."

"I'll make her rem...m...emb..ber"

"You can't." Jack shook his head "She would die. Something was done to her brain, and forgetting saved her life. I'm sorry, buddy."

Depressing-bar-guy looked down into the very same glass he had when they first met. "She is d...dead now." It wasn't a question so Jack didn't reply. "Was she hap...py? M..married? Ch..ch..chil...dren?"

The captain tried to find the right words to say "She lived a good life. Married once but it didn't last. No kids." The man nodded as it all sank in.

"But hey." Jack tried to cheer him up "At least now you know, so you won't pine away for her anymore. And listen, tomorrow you're going to get a huge settlement for that library affair and with the money you're going to invent something amazing, you'll become rich! Now that you know the truth you can try and move on, right?"

"T..take me to her. P...please."

"Look, you can't go there knowing everything you know. I thought about it but you might say something that reveals you're in the wrong era, or trigger her memory. It's too risky."

"I'll T...take my memory away." Depressing-bar-guy said, becoming more animated as an idea fuelled his hope. "If I c...can't rem..m..mem...ber, then I c...can't d..do d...damage."

Jack shook his head "Hypno-washing? That was made illegal years ago, it's too dangerous! You might forget how to swallow! Or breathe!" the captain decided not to mention he suspected the Agency used that hypnosis technique on him. "I don't want you killing yourself. Donna wouldn't allow that and you know it!"

The man looked at Jack, with a slightly crazed smile "I will invent a d..device to safely c..control mmemories. I will forg...get what I need to. Would you t...take me then?"

The captain thought about it...He figured the Doctor would probably disapprove, but what the heck, he wasn't there anyway! "All right." Jack said "If you find a way to safely erase your memories, I will take you to Donna."

For a moment the man seemed overcome with relief "Thank you. How c..can I repay you?"

The captain was about to decline any reward, but then he thought about it for a moment. "Are you going to try to make a machine that allows selective memory alterations?"

Depressing-bar-guy nodded enthusiastically.

"Well..2 years of my life have been cancelled from my memory. Do you think you could try and restore them for me?"

"I will d..do my best!" Not-so-depressing-bar-guy promised warmly.


	11. Chapter 11

_Come on Jack_,_ get a grip!_

The captain clenched and unclenched his fists nervously.

Exactly one year had past since Jack and Donna's-bar-guy had last met. Now Jack was waiting for him at the bar, as agreed. Donna's guy had confidently said he would have his machine ready by then. After so long, the captain faced the chance of actually getting his memory back!

He placed his elbows on the bar and rested his lips against his joined hands, closing his eyes.

If anyone had paid attention to him, he would have looked like a man in prayer.

If anyone had listened to him, they would have heard him swearing slightly.

One would think that after so much time spent trying to regain his memory, the captain would be thrilled and exuberant. Instead he was a nervous wreck, although he would never have admitted to it. The captain was about to discover what he had done in those two years and why his memory was taken. It was a daunting thought. He had been alive long enough to know that people make mistakes, and sometimes those lapses in judgement are unforgivable.

The captain thought of himself as ultimately a good guy, but he had done things he wasn't proud of. What would he do if, once he had restored his memory, he discovered more than he could handle of himself? What if he was a monster?

Shakily he drank deeply from his whiskey for some Dutch courage, and looked at his watch.

Any minute now.

Jack felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He heard the door open and he turned to see Donna's-guy grinning back at him nervously, a suitcase in one hand, a briefcase in the other.

Taking one last swig of courage, Jack stood and walked to him.

"Are you ready?"

"Y..yes."

The two men walked silently to a safe, secluded area in the park. Surrounded and concealed by ancient and rare willows, it was on high ground and allowed a beautiful view of the city lights below. Jack was the one who knew about that spot, but let's not go there...Privacy and secrecy were needed for this occasion, and let's leave it at that.

"Did you invent the McAvoy speech impediment corrector?"

The man nodded. "I left it t...to my c..cousin's...d..descend..dan..ts."

"Why are you still stammering, then? You could have fixed it before going back..."

He shook his head "D...D...D...Donna fell in love w..With a man with a st... a st... With a stammer." He gave up the use of his own invention to have a better chance at making her fall for him all over again. Jack raised his brow and shook his head slightly. The things we do for love...

Donna's-guy opened the briefcase to reveal a little device with 2 small chips.

"Now let me fill m..my end of the b...b..bargain."

He tried to attach the device to the captain's temples but Jack took a step back. "We need to go to the past first." He said determinedly

"W...Why?"

"I..."Jack took a deep breath. "I don't know what happened those two years, and most importantly I don't know the kind of man I'll be once I do remember. I can't guarantee that, once my memory is restored, I'll still be the type of guy who'll keep his word. We need to take you to the past first, before I can break my promise."

The man quietly nodded in understanding, and although from that moment he looked more wearily at the captain, there was also an admiration that wasn't there before.

"Have you said goodbye to your loved ones?"

The man shrugged. His loved ones had died a hundred years ago.

"Are you sure you want to do this? She won't remember you. She might not want you this time around. You could go back in the past and still not have her."

He paused "You'll forget you love her, too."

Donna's-guy smiled warmly, his eyes distant for a moment. He looked up at Jack and nodded firmly. "I j..just want t..to b..b..be in a world where she is."

The captain put a hand on the man's shoulder. "Hold on to your suitcase."

A couple secretly walked through the park and made their way to a quiet little place from which you could see the city lights. Unaware that, moments before, on that very spot, they would have found a man leaving his life behind just to see the woman he loved, a woman who didn't even know him, the young lovers held hands and kissed beneath the willows.

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Donna Noble looked at herself in the mirror.

She was holding a green blouse and a pair of jeans up against herself, eyeing her reflection critically.

"Jeans, Donna? Again? Are you sure?"

Donna huffed slightly "I like them, mum."

"But why don't you try wearing a dress? Or a skirt? Why don't you try and be _feminine_, for once?"

The daughter sighed, bit her tongue and continued to look at her reflection.

"You've been divorced a whole year now and you haven't been on a single date! It's no wonder if you keep dressing like a man."

Donna put down the green top and picked up a black version.

"I know you don't have the best figure, but I'm sure the shop lady could help you find something to make you look...Well...Better. And you should really lay off those custard creams."

Her daughter picked up the green one and started walking to the changing-room.

"You'll never find a man if you..."

Donna finally spun round, glaring at her mum. "Mum, I wear what I want to wear, I do what I want to do and live how I want to live. I don't care if I never 'find a man' because I don't think a man is what gives my life meaning. I have a good job and, as you know, a hell of a lot of money. I am treating you to this shopping spree but if you can't shut up and be nice then you can just go home. Understood?"

The mother was painfully aware of everyone in the shop looking at them.

"All right dear, sorry. I was only trying to help."

Donna softened slightly "Well then you can help me by finding shoes that match this top. And then we can go get that handbag you wanted, ok?"

The mother nodded, chastened. "All right, dear." She quietly picked up a blouse from the rack. "Here, try that in purple as well, you always look lovely in purple."

Donna smiled, took the blouse and walked into the changing-room.

Shortly later, mother and daughter walked out of the shop with a couple of bags each, chatting vivaciously. They were completely unaware of two men observing them from the other side of the street.

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"That's D..Ddd...Ddd...D..."

"Yes, that's Donna." Jack helped the poor man. It was plain that emotions were making speech harder than usual. Donna's-guy just nodded, eyes glued on the now distant figure of the woman he had travelled through time to see again. "Where c..c..can we d..d..do this?"

"We'll use my apartment, it's just around the corner."

The two men walked silently back to Jack's home, the captain forcing himself to breathe regularly. He noticed Donna's-guy was doing the same.

Once they reached the flat, Jack let his guest in. "Would you like something to drink?" He asked automatically.

"N..no, thanks."The man shook his head as he placed his briefcase on the living room table. He carefully picked up the documents Captain Harkness had ordered for him. Tentatively he started to look at what would be his new identity, his new job, his new address... Then he decided against it and started to assemble the device. He motioned to a chair. "Sit."

"Have you tried this on anyone before?" Jack wondered aloud. His guest shook his head.

Of course not.

He clenched his jaw and fists as the chips were applied to his temple.

"Are you read..dy?" Donna's-guy looked at him and the captain could see he was every bit as worried for him as Jack was. He smiled. The Doctor's companion had found a good man.

Captain Harkness took a deep breath and nodded.

"Go."

Jack's body shook as he felt an electric current rush through him. He would have cried out in agony by he couldn't move, every muscle in his body clenching spasmodically with the force of the shock.

After a few moments, Jack began to remember. Images flashed before his eyes like the memories of fleeting dreams.

_He was walking into the Agency, laughing with somebody._

_A tall, dark man sneering at him._

"_You can't win this, Jack."_

_The sound of guns, the cries of battle._

_An explosion. _

_A little girl, holding a daisy._

_Voices in the distance...calling...screaming..._

_Screaming..._

_Screaming..._

"Aaagh!" Jack cried out.

And then it was gone.

"Are y..you ok? D..D...Do you remember?" Donna's guy looked at him, concerned. The sweat on his brow revealed his angst at watching the captain's pain.

Jack rubbed his eyes.

He had remembered something, hadn't he? For a moment he thought...

"No." he shook his head. "I think I might have done for a moment, but...No. I can't remember anything at all."

"N..No!" Donna's guy cried in anguish. "Th..they p..promised! They p..promised it would work!"

"What?" Jack asked, suddenly very alert.

"I'm sorry, I thought..t it would..d work! They p..promised!"

"Who promised? Who?"

Donna's-guy tried his best to explain. Jack gave him something strong to calm his nerves and help him speak better.

"The sp..speech manipulator wasn't too hard. I made it b..by myself and had lot..ts of willing p..people to t..test it on." he took a deep breath.

"I even c...created the m..memory d..deletion system alone." he said with a certain degree of pride.

"B..but memory r...recuperation is d..dangerous. I c...couldn..'t ask anyone to be t...tested. And I n..n..needed help. So I rem..membered you are a T...Time Agent! I went to your Agency..."

Jack felt a knot tighten in his stomach but he didn't say a word.

"I asked for assistance...They were very n..nice. They said they would..d help me m..make the device. They even let...t me use the N...Neuroscience Lab! P...professor Hoffleheim was v..very int..terested in m...my work. He asked for a p..prototype of my M..Memory D..Deletion System. He said it w..would help find how to rec...cuperate memories, too. He w..worked on m..my recuperation d..device with me. P...Professor Hoffleheim assured me it w..would work."

He lowered his head despondently. "I let y..you d..down. I'm s..sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Jack replied emptily, feeling quite numb.

Hoffleheim...The Neuroscience Lab...

Donna's man had given the Agency a device able to selectively delete people's memories, in exchange for help in creating one to recuperate the captain's.

Jack buried his face in his hands as the reality of it sank in:

in his own desire to remember the 2 years the Agency had erased, the captain had actively participated in the flow of cause and effect leading to the creation of the device with which those memories were cancelled!

Jack couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

"I'm sorry." Donna's-guy repeated earnestly, head lowered in contrition.

The captain looked at the man who had just delivered into the hands of the Agency the tools with which to rob people of their memories, but he could feel no anger or resentment.

"Don't worry about it." He smiled as the man looked up. "It's only 2 years."

He stood up.

"Are you still sure you want to have your memory cancelled for Donna?"

The man trembled slightly, for he had seen the pain Jack had gone through, but the quiet determination that drove him never wavered.

He made some changes to the device settings, showed Jack how it worked and then, looking into space and visualising the woman he loved, Donna's-depressing-bar-guy steadily said his last words as Lee mcDougall.

"I am ready, Captain."

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Leigh McAllister walked out of the hospital.

The nurses told him a nice gentleman had accompanied him in, but Leigh had no recollection of it. Apparently he was suffering from selective amnesia The Doctor believed it was induced by some kind of electric shock and said it was unlikely to happen again. He could not guarantee the return of his memories, unfortunately.

"How are you feeling?" he heard, and turned around to see a man in a greatcoat smiling at him.

"D...did you bring me here?" Leigh asked politely.

The gentleman nodded "You were holding a phone and then you started shaking. I think it gave you a shock or something. The sim card is all burnt up and useless, so the nurses threw it away. I'm sorry. Do you know how to get home?"

"Yes." Leigh nodded, pointing at his ID with his address written on it. "Th...thank you."

"Don't mention it." The gentleman smiled.

"Ok well... Goodbye Leigh McAllister. And good luck."

The stranger turned and walked away... For some reason Leigh felt very, very sad to see him go.

"Thank you!" He called out once more.

Without turning around, the man in the greatcoat raised his hand in farewell.

Then he was gone.

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_So this is my house._

Leigh thought to himself as he looked at the rather nice Victorian front door. Apparently, after the death of his mother, the last living relative, he had just recently moved in from Scotland and had no friends in the area. It was a new life in more ways than one, now he had lost his memory, too!

He was about to open the door when he heard someone calling.

"Oi! You!" He turned to see the most beautiful red-haired woman in the world.

"Are you our new neighbour?" She asked as she came closer. Leigh tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone dry.

"Oi, I said: 'Are you our new neighbour?' I just moved in the area too, you see. Just got divorced." she grimaced. "So anyway, are you our new neighbour or aren't you."

Leigh nodded, eyes wide.

"Well, I'm Donna, nice to meet you." She smiled cheerfully as she pulled out her keys. "What's your name, then?"

Leigh forced himself to answer, but his stammer was exacerbated by his nerves.

"L...L...L...Leigh M...M...M..."

"Oooh, you've got a bit of a stammer there. Bless..."

"D...D...D..."

"Skip to a vowel, they're easy."

They laughed, then Donna looked at her neighbour with a cheeky smile on her lips.

"Gorgeous, and can't speak a word...What am I gonna do with you?"

For a moment, for just a moment, they looked into each other's eyes with the shared feeling they had been there before. Then the moment was gone, and they both forgot.

But they were still smiling.

The End

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Author's note:

This fic is dedicated to jack63kids for encouraging me to develop what was born as a one-shot and for the helpful reviews. Thank you.

Thank you all for reading my work, I hope you liked it!

Feral


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue

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Jack was running.

Down the hill he raced, out of breath but he couldn't stop.

He almost got it, just a little bit closer and he would catch it...

He wasn't fast enough.

The ball that had fallen from his pocket bounced away over the gate and onto the pavement. He gripped the fence in frustration and looked around urgently for help. He couldn't get out! "Excuse me." He called to a tall man who was walking to the exit. The stranger stopped and looked around. "Excuse me, sir. Over here!" He waved a little as the man saw him and walked over.

"Yeah? What do you want, kid? Need help?"

"My ball. I dropped it. It's over there!" He pointed at the runaway toy in the middle of the street. I can't get out." He added apologetically.

The man in the big coat walked past the gate and picked the ball up. As he made his way back to Jack a familiar voice called him.

"Jack! Jack, I've told you before not to run off like that!"

"But I dropped my ball!"

"You should have waited, then."

"But I didn't leave the park, I didn't. I promise!"

The gentleman came in through the gate, smiling. "It's true, he didn't." He kneeled so he was at the boy's height as he gave him the toy. "Here you go."

"What do you say?" Mum coaxed Jack gently.

"Thank you!" The boy said, beaming as he gripped the ball so tightly one would have thought it was capable of growing legs and running away if he let go.

"You're welcome." The tall man reciprocated the smile as he stood, then he turned to walk back out into the street.

"Dad!" Mum called "Dad, are you ok? Do you need help?"

Jack noticed the stranger freeze, then slowly turn around to look at Grandad.

"Oh Ella, d..don't worry, I'm fine." Mum's daddy said as he gradually made his way down the hill, leaning heavily on his walking stick. It seemed to Jack that Grandad's steps had become slower since Gran died.

"Thank you, young m..man, for saving my g...g...grandson's ball."

"A pleasure, sir." The tall stranger said with such warmth Jack looked at him in surprise. He must have lost a rubber ball when he was little too, Jack thought to himself.

It was the funeral today, so Mum had put him in important must-keep-clean black clothes and had told him to be on his very best superstar behaviour...And he really tried! He really did.

Jack didn't think he would be doing anything wrong by keeping a small, harmless little red ball in his pocket for later. When they buried Gran and everyone was talking it wasn't his fault if the ball slipped out of the pocket and rolled down the hill...But Jack felt really, really guilty.

This was an important day for Gran, he knew it.

He remembered when Mum got a call at lunchtime and she put him in the car, crying on the phone with Dad as she drove to the hospital. They went to a room where Gran was lying on a bed with tubes sticking out, Grandad was sitting next to her but he got up when Mum walked in.

Jack went up to Gran, who looked very tired, and said maybe she needed to have a nap. Gran agreed, smiling, and asked for a goodnight kiss, so he gave her a peck on the cheek. Then Uncle Josh came and took Jack to get some Ice cream.

He remembered walking back to the room with a chock-ice to see Gran and Grandad talking to each other, holding hands. Then Gran stopped talking and Grandad sat very still for a long time, without letting her go. After a while he brought her hand to his cheek before resting it on the sheets, then he kissed Gran softly on the lips and walked to the door. Uncle Josh and Mum hugged while Daddy called the doctor. Jack was still little, but he knew he had seen something very grown-up that day.

"I'm sorry, Grandad. I didn't mean to ruin the funeral." He began to cry.

"You d...didn't, Jack. It was fun t..to see you run off...It m..made me laugh. I need...ded a laugh. Thank you." He patted Jack on the head. He had the same dark, curly hair as his grandfather's and it bouced cheerfully as the boy skipped, relieved, over to his mother.

"Oh don't encourage him, Dad!"

"Ella, he's only five. Your m..mum would have laughed t..too."

Mum opened her mouth, then closed it and nodded. Mum was never afraid to answer back to people: she would speak her mind and got this huge voice when she was angry, Grandad would say she got Gran's guts and lungs, but she would _never_ answer back to her dad! Mum would always tell Jack that Grandad didn't talk much, so when he did, he was worth listening to.

"We're on the other side of the cemetery, now!" Mum groaned slightly. "DAD!" she cried out in alarm as she saw her father stumble.

In a flash the stranger was by his side and kept him from falling, holding him firmly by the shoulders.

"Th...thank you, young man." Grandad panted. "I am afraid I n..need to rest a m..moment."

Quietly the stranger helped the old man make his way to a bench while Dad and Uncle Josh came running down the hill.

"Ella! We didn't see you leave! Why are you over here? The cars are on the other side..." Dad asked.

"Jack lost a toy and came looking for it. Darling, Josh, could the two of you get the cars and drive round to pick us up? Dad's too tired."

"Ella, Mrs. Rosen needed to talk to you about the Charity's concert in Mum's honour, remember?" Uncle Josh reminded Mummy.

"Oh you're right." Mum gasped. "I need to go back there. Darling," She turned to Dad "Please take Jack with you, he's getting restless."

"Can't I stay here with Grandad?" Jack pleaded. "I'll play very quietly."

Grandad finally sat down on the bench and breathed a sigh of relief. "It's ok, Ella. He c...can st..stay with me."

"But dad, are you sure you can handle it on your own?"

"I..I can stay with him if you like." The stranger shrugged "I'm not busy today."

Grandad nodded and that was reassurance enough for Mum.

"Jack, you stay where they can see you and play nicely, ok? We'll be back in a few minutes, so you take care of Grandad for me, all right?"

"Yes, Mummy." Jack said seriously.

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The little boy forgot all about the ball as soon as he saw an ant, and was holding the insect carefully in his hand while he sat on the grass next to his grandfather's walking stick.

The old man sighed as he looked to the top of the hill. "I saw you at the funeral." he said to the gentleman sitting beside him, who did not reply."You were in a c..corner at the b..back."

The stranger nodded, then took a deep breath and turned his eyes to the sky. "At least it's sunny."

"My wife is d..dead and the sun is still shining. How imp..pertinent." the grandfather said with humour "B..but then D..Donna would..dn't have wanted rain." his smile softened.

"I'm Leigh. What's your n..name?"

"Jack."

"Ah." he nodded. "Like my g...grandson. I p...picked the name." the old man said with a certain degree of pride.

The man in the greatcoat nodded. "It's a good name, sir."

"I c..can't remember" Leigh mentioned calmly, looking fondly at his daughter's son and then at the man beside him with an inquisitive smile.

"B..but... I have the feeling that the name b..belongs to a very, very g..good friend."

The man in the greatcoat smiled back

"I'm sure it does."

Young Jack Wellborn continued to play blissfully, and the two men sat side by side, in silence, as the Autumn sun slowly disappeared behind the hill where Donna was laid to rest.

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Author's note:  
I had every intention of writing an epilogue with Lucy and Jack meeting and how they plan to help Jack, but once I sat down this is what came out. I guess it's fair to say I let the epilogue run away with me!

I had mistakenly written "Jack McAllister" but in fact Ella's husband is not a MCAllister but a Wellborn. If you have a great memory for names you might find a little clue, and you are free to draw your own conclusions, if you do.

xxx

Feralandfree


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